


Who's To Say It Wouldn't Work

by Hotspur



Category: Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Masters of Rome
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, being dumped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:38:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4197663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotspur/pseuds/Hotspur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brutus and Porcia discuss the fact that Brutus's engagement to Julia has been broken off. Angst and fluff follow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who's To Say It Wouldn't Work

**Author's Note:**

> Got the idea while reading Caesar's Women by Colleen McCollough, who likes throwing in a lot of Portus foreshadowing

"I'm sorry to hear about Julia," Cato's daughter said, sitting down on the bench next to Brutus. 

"Thanks," Brutus mumbled. "Porcia, right?"

"Yes, that's me. Tata told me to come out and keep you company while he's finishing up business."

"I heard Biblulus was over," Brutus said. 

"Yes. He's over all the time, I guess you knew that. Weird guy. Tata seems to like him. As much as Tata can like someone." 

Porcia looked like her father. Tall, skinny, bony, her red hair tied up behind her head, and his beak of a nose. She wasn't pretty. Even though she was nearly 16, she hadn't filled out and started to look feminine, but her dress sense certainly couldn't help. She was wearing an ugly, brown dress, and she didn't seem to care how she looked. 

Brutus didn't look any better, really. Porcia turned and took in the young man sitting next to her. Her cousin was ugly. More accurately, he was cursed with bad skin and that ruined everything about him. Puberty had not been good to him. His face was covered in acne, and because of the irritating zits and rashes he couldn't properly shave, so he had to clip his black beard as close to his face as he could. It left his face patchy and pathetic. Porcia found his sad eyes kind of cute, though, even though she didn't want him to be sad.

Which he was. He was heartbroken. All these years he'd waited to marry his childhood crush, Julia Caesaris, and now he'd been dumped for Pompey, of all people. Mama had told him that Julia never loved him, and that she thought he was boring. She probably was right. Now that he looked back on it, he realized that she'd never seemed really interested in him, and had been stiff when he'd been affectionate.

"I feel hurt," Brutus finally mumbled, "I shouldn't, but I do." 

"Of course you should," Porcia said. "You didn't get to be with the person you liked, that's sad."

"Everyone keeps telling me I should be with someone else," Brutus said. "They all keep telling me to find another girl to marry." 

"Can't be too hard," Porcia said, "you're rich and you're family's a good pile of connections, you should have girls practically throwing themselves at you."

"I notice you're not," Brutus said with a hint of a smile.

"Oh Brutus," Porcia said dramatically, clutching her heart, "take me now! I want to have your babies!" 

They looked at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing. 

"Oddly enough, no one is begging to have my babies," Brutus said, still laughing. "I'm to ugly and boring, apparently."

"I don't think you're boring," Porcia said. "You're smart."

"Thanks," Brutus mumbled. "I think you're smart too." He didn't know Porcia all that well, but he did know she was intelligent. She'd practically bypassed school and her father had gotten her a tutor because she was way too advanced for basic lessons. 

"Men don't like smart girls," Porcia said. 

"I guess no one likes either of us," Brutus mumbled. He felt about to explode. Porcia's joke had made him smile only temporarily. "I just can't get it out of my mind! Pompey gets her! Julia is really happy with him. He gets to love her every night, and kiss her, and then they'll have babies, and she'll be so happy with him. I know exactly what he does with her. I can't stand it, I just can't." 

"If you love her, you want her to be happy, right?" Porcia asked. 

"I guess so," Brutus mumbled. "She deserves to be happy, she's so sweet. And perfect."

"Then let her be happy," Porcia said. "If she didn't love you, she wouldn't be happy, no matter how much you loved her, and then you wouldn't be happy either." 

Porcia was right, Brutus realized. No matter how much he'd covered Julia in affection, she hadn't responded in kind. If they'd been married, they'd both be sad. 

"I know," Brutus moaned, burying his face in his hands, "but it still hurts."

He felt her cover his hands with hers and slowly guide them down so his face was uncovered and he had to look at her. 

"Of course it still hurts," she said, as gently as her unfortunately genetic harsh voice would allow. 

Brutus forgot himself and buried his face in her shoulder. She smelled like parchment and book barrels. She wrapped her surprisingly strong arms around her and rested her head next to his. Julia had never held him like this, she'd only hugged him out of politeness. They were so still for a moment that he could feel his heart beating. And hers too. 

"Thanks," Brutus said, after they parted. "I needed that." 

"So did I," Porcia replied. "I don't get very many hugs." 

They were silent for a long time. Finally, Porcia spoke.

"Tata wants you to marry me," she said. 

"I know," Brutus mumbled. "He's been on me about that for years. I don't want to marry anyone," he continued. "I'm never going to love anyone."

"I've been told not to love," Porcia said. "Even a husband. Be faithful, yes, but love, not really."

"But isn't being faithful an act of love?" Brutus asked. "I mean, you wouldn't betray someone you love." He looked down at his hands, then at Porcia. "I'd be good to you," he said. "If we were married, I mean. I'd be good to you and I'd never hurt you or leave you or cheat on you."

"I'd be good to you too," Porcia said. "I'd never be unfaithful."

"I don't know if I'd make you happy though," Brutus said, briefly imagining them being married. He'd be a terrible husband. Although, maybe given the right wife, he'd be good. 

"You're making me happy right now," Porcia said. "You actually listen to me. Most people don't." 

Brutus put his hand on hers. As he looked at her, he realized she wasn't as bad as she initially looked. She was pretty in her own way. Her father's looks had made her look distinguished, like an old orator. Maybe it was you had to look at her not with the expectations of other girls, but as someone apart from everyone else on Earth. She was her own person, so different and fascinating. 

Brutus had a strange twinge in his stomach. He wanted to show her how she made him happy too. "Can I kiss you?" He asked, unashamedly. 

"What?" She blinked.

"Can I kiss you?" He repeated. "You know, as a friend. It won't be long or anything."

"Alright," Porcia said.

Brutus leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled and kissed his forehead in return. Brutus smiled too.

"I hope you get married to someone who loves you," Brutus said, looking at his feet. "You need to be with someone who makes you happy."

"So do you," Porcia replied.

And in that moment, Brutus believed it.


End file.
